University of the Arts Music Alumni Shine at 2011 Grammys

Bassist Stanley Clarke wins second Grammy; Chris Farr and Matt Cappy perform on winning song by John Legend & The Roots

February 15, 2011

Three alumni from the School of Music at the University of the Arts shone in the spotlight of the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, held February 13, 2011.

Alumnus Stanley Clarke '71 (Bass) took home his second Grammy and Chris Farr '94 (Saxophone), MAT '95 and Matt Cappy '96 (Trumpet), MAT '97 were performers on a song by John Legend & the Roots that was also a winner.

Nominated in two categories, Clarke took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for The Stanley Clarke Band. Awarded a 2008 honorary doctor of fine arts degree by his alma mater, he also won a Grammy in 1975 with the legendary jazz group Return to Forever for Best Jazz Performance by a Group.

The Grammy for Best R&B Song went to "Shine" by John Legend & The Roots, which features the horns of UArts alumni Matt Cappy and Chris Farr. Farr is also an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Music at the University of the Arts. The song, from the CD Wake Up, had earned two nominations out of a total of five for the Legend/Roots collaboration.

Joining Clarke, Farr and Cappy in the Grammy spotlight were current student Samantha Aurelio '11 (Voice), faculty member alum Anne Sciolla '86 (Voice), and former UArts student Jeremy Grenhart '03 (Piano). Aurelio and Sciolla performed on Joey DeFrancesco's Grammy-nominated recording Never Can Say Goodbye, which lost out to Clarke, while Grenhart collaborated with the Roots on their rap-nominated album How I Got Over. Four tracks that Grenhart co-wrote and co-produced are featured on How I Got Over, including "Radio Daze," "Now or Never," "Walk Alone" and the album's title track.

"We're all thrilled that our alumni continue to shine in the spotlight and be recognized by the industry for their terrific accomplishments, and we’re very proud to claim them as our own," said Marc Dicciani, director of the School of Music at University of the Arts.